Improvement in postal cards



2 Sheets-Sheet I F. W. BROOKS. Postal-Cards.

No. 195,974. Fay; Patented Oct. 9, I877.

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H PETERs. FHUTO-LITHUGFAPMER. wAsnmemw 0 c NITED STATES PATENT Orrion.

FRANKLIN W. BROOKS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN POSTAL CARDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 195,974, dated October 9, 1877; application filed F July 30, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN W. BnooKs, of the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Postal Cards, of which the following is a specification:

This invention consists in what I term a return postal card, the same being of peculiar construction, as hereinafter set forth.

The objects of the invention are to provide for the free return of a postal card through the L mails, with a reply written upon it, so as to enable the first sender to obtain a prompt answer without trouble or expense to the party addressed, and without complicating the work of arranging, postmarking, and distributing the cards in the post-offices; and also to provide for the retention of the first message by the party receiving it, and to provide for each writer a message-blank of the entire area of the card.

To this end my invention consists in constructing a return postal card with a removable back, either by making it of readily-sepc arable two-ply paper, or by applying an addil tional thickness of paper to constitute said removable back, a stamp or stamps representing postage two ways, and any other matter which may be required, being printed on the face of the card, with blanks for both addresses and the two postmarks.

Referring to the drawing, Figure l is a face View of one form of the return postal card unwritten upon. Fig. 2 is a back view ofthe same after it has passed through the mail once. Fig. 3 is a face view of the same card as returned to the original sender. Fig. 4 is a face view of another return postal card, and Fig. 5 is a back view of another; and Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are diagrams of single sheets, from which return postal cards may be made, the same illustrating certain modifications of this invention.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This return postal card consists, essentially, of two parts, A B, which are preferably the laminae of bristol-board or analogous thick paper, so calendered or otherwise separately ardened, and so imited in the subsequent ages of the process of manufacture, that the double paper card will split upon the insertion of a knife-blade or fin ger-nail between the parts, and so that one or both of the new surfaces thus exposed can be written upon.

The new card may be of the same size and shape as those now in use, or of any peculiar size or shape, and the two parts of each card may be of the same or different colors. A card of the above description is shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3.

The two-part card may be made in other and analogous ways, which are illustrated in Figs. 4 to 8, inclusive. Fig. 4 is intended in part to represent a card made of two sheets of ordt nary thin bristol-board, or other suitable paper or card-board, united by means of pasted or cemented edges 2. Fig. 5 represents the combination of a back of thin paper with a face part of card-board. Figs. 6, 7, S represent the blanks of folded cards, the parts of each card being united along one edge by the common stock, and along one or more of the other edges by paste or cement, 2. These blanks can be made of double length or double width and folded accordingly, as represented.

In all varieties of the card where pasted or cemented edges are used, I propose uniting the parts at two or more edges.

Fig. 8 represents the blank of a card having two closed edges, Fig. 7 that of one having three, and Fig. 6 that of one having all its edges closed; and Figs. 4 and 5 represent two other cards of the latter description.

Before or after the parts are pasted or (e mented together, as just described, lines of perforations y, similar to those in sheets of postage-stamps, will be punched in either or both parts, to correspond with the inner limits of the respective stripes of paste or cement, and in the case of folded cards similar lines of perforations, 3 maybe punched alon gthe folds, as illustrated in Figs. 0, 7, S.

Fig. 4 illustrates punching the perforations through both parts of the card. The edges of a card thus perforated may be readily torn off, leaving the remainder of the two parts clear and smooth. A thumb-notch, 00, Fig. 7, in. the front of the card, or a slight end projection, 1c, Fig. 8, on the back, to correspond with an open end, or any similar provision, may be added to facilitate separating the parts. In the case of a pasted card which is closed at all edges, an opening, r, Fig. 6, may be formed to admit a pencil or other instrument for ripping or cutting out the back. Slits may take the place of perforations, and other similar modifications may be made, without departing from the invention.

The double card first described, adapted in its manufacture to split or divide parallel to its face, will alone require none of the abovedescribed special opening devices; but the various modifications described illustrate inferior forms or embodiments of lny invention, which consists, essentially, of a return post-card hav' ing both address-blanks and the representation of both postages on its face, and an exposed full-sized surface for the first message and a full-sized surface for the return-message, which is exposed by removing the sheet containing the first message.

The face of the double card is printed as illustrated in Figs. 1, 3, and 4, being provided with one or two stamps, s s s representing postage two ways; a blank or blanks, 12 p 19, for two postmarks; any instructions, 1' i which may be required or approved; and two address-blanks, a a with or without the des ignation U. S. Return Postal Card, or any other name which may be adopted.

It is considered important that the stamp or stamps, the postmark space or spaces, and the address-spaces occupy substantially the usual relation with reference to each other, as illustrated. This adapts the cards to be arranged, postmarked, aud distributed in the same manner as ordinary post-cards aml letters. Otherwise the arrangement, as well as the form of the letters and lines, is entirely unessential, and the lines may be omitted.

All the printing with ink will be confined to the face of the card; but the words Tear this out and write reply on surface beneath, or words to this etfect, may be water-lined in a paper-back sheet, B as illustrated in Fig. 5.

For the messages there are two surtaces, b c, the first being the outer surface of the part B, and the second one the back of the part A. Both of these surfaces, it will be observed, are substantially of full size, and unobstructed, and may be written upon lengthwise or crosswise, as preferred.

The manner of using the cards is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3: Jones Bros, Wishing certain intbrmation, take a return-card of the form shown in Fig. 1, and write in the space a the address of their correspondents, and upon the s1u face b, which is the whole back of the card, they write their message. The card, being mailed, is postmarked in the upper space 19, and the stamp s is simultaneously canceled. H. M. Anderson & 00., who are the parties addressed, upon receiving the card, remove the part B by splitting the card, as directed, (see Fig. 2,) retaining this part bearing the message to them for their file, and keeping, if they so choose, a memorandiun of their answer upon its blank back. This answer is written upon the surface 0, and the address of Jones Bros. is written in the lower address-space a and the card is remailed, receives its second postmark in the space p and is finally delivered to the party who first sent it, with saving of time, trouble, and expense to all concerned.

Both addresses may, of course be written by the first sender, and other details of use, as well as of manufacture, must be variable.

In the case of a card having two stamps and a single postmarking-space, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the upper stamp s and the upper part of the space 10 opposite the first address, will naturally be first used, and then the lower.

The following is what I claim as new and of my own invention, namely:

1. A return postal card consisting of a front part, A, having a printed face bearing two address-blanks, and a stamp or stamps for postage two ways, and a removable back part, B, covering the blank back of the front part, and forming a supplemental writing surface, 011 which a message maybe sent to a person, who is to answer upon said back surface of the front card.

2. A return postal card the paper of which is manufactured so as to split into two parts, for the purpose of exposing a second full-sized message-surface, and printed with both address-blanks and a stamp or stamps for postage both ways on one side of the double card.

FRANKLIN W. BROOKS.

Vt'itnesses JAS. L. EwIN, 1. (J. LANGEVIN. 

